When You Say You Love Me
by darknesses-light
Summary: Oneshot. AshexBalthier. Ashe Balthier. At her coronation party, Queen Ashelia B'Nargin Dalmasca dances with a mysteriously familiar masked man. "Who are you?" "I think clues are not necessary anymore, Princess."


Normal

_Thoughts_

**Flashback**

_Lyrics_

**A/N: Hi! I was listening to a song one day, and well, I became inspired to write this story.**

**Pairing: AshexBalthier, barely implied PeneloxLarsa (if you squint really **_**really**_** hard)**

**Song: When You Say You Love Me by Josh Groban**

**Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me. All things Final Fantasy belong to SquareEnix and the song belongs to Josh Groban.**

* * *

"My lady, are you ready?" The young servant asked. Said lady turned and smiled at the nervous looking boy. He was still a child, barely 11, and it was obvious that he was intimidated with the presence of the soon-to-be Queen of Dalmasca as he called her to her coronation party.

"I'll be out shortly. Thank you." She said, nodding. The boy bowed and quickly left the balcony where she stood, leaving her once again to her thoughts.

The Queen-elect moved toward the railing and gently laid her hands upon the cool marble. Breathing in the sweet Dalmascan air, she closed her eyes and let her memories overtake her.

**As Rasler continued to speak about their marriage, originally a marriage of politics, Ashelia went beside her new husband and, taking his hand said "I'll play my part." She had a loving smile on her face and when Rasler turned to face her, she saw that he had one as well.**

"**I would have no other."**

With a soft smile on her face, Ashe opened her eyes. The sight of a small envelope beside her reminded her of another man who managed to worm his way into her heart and change her life completely. Picking up the small envelope, she pulled out the letter inside. There, written in an elegant script that Ashe didn't know the writer possessed, was one simple question.

"Give this to our Queen for me, will you?"

Letting out a breathy laugh, she turned the envelope upside down and watched the glimmer of metal roll onto her palm. A small smile made its way onto her face as she stared at her old wedding ring. Returning the letter back into its envelope, she continued to feel the coolness of the ring as she looked out into the horizon. Her eyes landed on the remains of the Bahamut and her eyes closed painfully at the old memories it brought.

"But he's alive." She reminded herself, pushing the painful memories into the back of her mind. After they had escaped the Bahamut, she had screamed herself hoarse, repeatedly calling the names of a certain pirate and his Viera partner until she fell unconscious from exhaustion. She woke up the next day in her old bedroom in the palace, learning that Vayne was truly dead, Larsa had taken his place as emperor, and that there was yet no word of the two heroes who stayed behind to save her city.

Half a year passed and there was still nothing.

And her hope began to waver.

It wasn't until, a year later when she was visited by Vaan and Penelo, that her hope was restored. She was filled with relief when they gave her the envelope and couldn't help but smile widely when she heard of their plans to meet the missing sky-pirates in Bervenia. She could tell that the two were excited to see their pirate companions, and, deep down, she wanted to too. But she turned down their offer when they asked if she wanted to come with them.

"**I'm going to be Queen in one week! I don't think the council will think highly of me if I suddenly disappeared one week before my coronation."**

And so the two pirates-in-training went off to meet their 'mentors' while she stayed behind and prepared for the day when she would, formally, take the throne.

Walking back into her bedroom, she saw that the maids were ready with the dress that she was to wear for the ball. Taking her place in the middle of the room, she let out a sigh as she felt the butterflies awake in her stomach. As the maids began to fit her into her dress, she looked once more at the ring in her hand and whispered "Please be there for me."

* * *

As the music continued to play and the dancers twirled around the floor, the newly instated Queen of Dalmasca yanked the golden mask off of her face and handed it to the servant next to her, saying "Please put this away. I don't see the need for wearing a mask at my own masquerade party. The people should know who the Queen is, right?"

Her maid, Olesya, smiled and curtsied, saying "You make a valid point, Your Highness. I'll put this away for you."

"Thank you." She turned back to watch the dancers. She watched as the people, all elegantly dressed and ornately masked, twirled and danced across the floor. Her eyes roamed around the room, and she couldn't help but feel disappointed when she failed to see a pair of white rabbit ears stick out of the crowd, or have the sight of an intricately designed brown vest catch her eye. Letting out a sigh, she silently admonished herself, remembering that the people she was looking for were far away from here; she could imagine them treasure-hunting somewhere with Vaan and Penelo. The thought brought a smile to her face.

_Pirates…_

But, as she continued to look around at all the masked couples dancing, she couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness at the fact that some of her closest comrades were unable to see her here as the new Queen of Dalmasca. She was sad with the fact that there was no young Vaan or Penelo running up to her yelling "Congrats!!", no tall Viera giving her any words of wisdom, or no smirking self-proclaimed 'Leading Man' here to call her 'Princess'. As her thoughts lingered on the sky-pirate, she closed her eyes briefly and imagined him there, his dark brown hair, mischievous brown eyes, ever present smirk and over-all clean cut look as vivid and real as ever in her mind. She could imagine him grinning at her and calling her by the nickname he gave her-

"Your highness?"

_Like the sound of silence calling,_

_I hear your voice inside of me,_

_I'm falling_

_Lost in a dream_

Ashelia turned around to see a handsome young man behind her, a polite smile on his face. He wore a simple black and white tux that fit well against his athletic-built body, and wore a matching black mask that didn't do well in deterring his handsome features underneath.

_Like the echoes of our souls are meeting,_

_You say those words, my heart stops beating,_Sticking out a hand in invitation, the mysterious man asked "Would you care to dance?"

_I wonder what it means,_ She felt her heart suddenly skip a beat and placed a hand over her heart gently as she peered intriguingly at the masked man, wondering to herself why he seemed familiar…

_What could it be_

_That comes over me?_

_At times I can't move_

_At times I can hardly breathe_ Taking his hand, she gave him a curious smile as she said "Yes."

_When you say you love me,_

_The world goes still, so still inside and_

_When you say you love me,_

_For a moment there's no one else alive._ As they reached the dance floor, Ashe suddenly found herself swept away as the masked dancer suddenly twirled her across the floor. Moving smoothly around the room, Ashe was pleased to realize that this man was a good dancer. She was glad that she didn't have to worry about her toes while she danced with him, unlike the other men she had previously danced with. After dancing in silence for awhile, Ashe decided to speak.

_You're the one I've always thought of,_

_I don't know how, but I feel sheltered in_

_Your love_

_You're where I belong_. 

"You seem familiar. Have we met before?"

Her dancing partner grinned slightly as he nodded. "Yes we have, my lady." Tilting her head to the side, she gazed intently at the man as she wondered where it was she had heard his voice before. "Where did we first meet?"

"Hm," his voice lingered in her head as he continued "The first time we met was here, in Dalmasca. You were in a…little bit of trouble and, well, I helped you out."

Considering his words, she tried to think of a time when she found herself in a complicated position, and couldn't help but think of a time, more than a year ago, where she found herself in a tight spot, fighting for her life in the sewers of the Garamsythe Waterway. She remembered being rescued by 3 thieves and unwillingly joining their group to save herself. She silently laughed at the memories; if only she knew then how largely they would affect her life later on- "Really? Well, I thank you for helping me out then. But I can't remember who you exactly are; there have been many times in Dalmasca when I was in trouble, and there were many times when I was rescued. So who specifically are you?"

She felt her heart leap into her throat as an all-too-familiar smirk appeared on the handsome man's face.

"Guess."

_And when you're with me if I close my eyes,_ Ashe closed her eyes as a sudden multitude of memories played itself in her mind.

**"Incidentally, what ****is**** the going rate for rescuing Princesses these days? Food would be a good start -- the good stuff, mind you."**

"**You're sky pirates, aren't you? Then steal me! Is that too much to ask?"**

_There are times I swear I feel like I can fly_

_For a moment in time._

_Somewhere between the heavens and earth_

_Frozen in time_

_Oh, when you say those words_

"**Do you understand exactly what it is you're doing?"**

"**No need to worry. I hope you haven't forgotten my role in this little story. I'm the leading man. You know what they say about the leading man: he never dies."**

She opened her eyes and stared in wonder at his face as they continued around the dance floor. Noticing her intense stare, the man noted aloud "Is there something on my face, Your Majesty?" The young queen was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn't hear him.

_It can't be him…could it? No, no it can't. He's in Bervenia, it can't be him. But maybe he decided to- no, No! He would never do that. He would never miss out on a treasure hunt just to see- but still, this man seems so familiar…similar height, similar hair, similar eyes…similar __smirk__… could it really be…?_

Some distance away, the young emperor of Archadia and his Judge Magister watched closely.

"What do you think, Gabranth? Do you think that man is him?" asked the heir of the House of Solidor. The armored man beside him shifted slightly and said "Well, although it would seem unlike him to be here at Queen Ashe's coronation, it doesn't mean it's impossible."

Larsa chuckled softly "Yes. But he has always managed to do the impossible, has he not?"

Before Gabranth could reply, the two were interrupted by a familiar animated voice. "Hey you guys!" They turned and were stunned to see Vaan running toward them with Penelo in tow. Vaan was wearing a simple brown outfit that many of the other nobles were wearing while Penelo wore a red, sinuous dancer's dress, reflective of her dancer's background. They both wore excited smiles on their faces and were obviously happy to see their old traveling companions again.

"Vaan!" Gabranth said with surprise at the same moment that Larsa said "P-Penelo?" his voice filled with wonder. They rushed to them and Vaan slapped a hand on Gabranth's armored shoulder, saying "Basch! Long time, no see!" at the same time that Penelo went to Larsa and gave him a hug and said "It's good to see you again, Larsa."

"Vaan. It's Gabranth now." Basch said, scolding him. Larsa smiled. "It's good to see the two of you again. But what of Bervenia?"

"We finished! Who would have thought that the Cache of Glabados was actually a powerful crystal tied to an Eternal?" Vaan said.** (A/N: I've never played Revenant Wings, so this little phrase could possibly be incorrect with the real story. Sorry!)** At hearing this, Larsa raised an eyebrow as he asked "So your business in Bervenia is finished?" Seeing Vaan nod, he turned to Gabranth, who suddenly understood what he was saying. The two then turned towards the dance floor to look at Ashe and her masked dancing partner and it took a few moments of silence before one of them spoke.

"Tell me," Larsa said, a knowing grin on his face "Did the two of you come to Ashe's coronation alone? Or were you accompanied by the Heroes of the Bahamut?"

_And this journey that we're on,_

**Just when she thought that it was really her end, that death had finally managed to catch her, she heard a voice below her yell "Jump!"**

**She didn't really think it through; she just listened and jumped off of the ledge she was standing, managing to avoid the numerous soldiers that were after her, and fell into the arms of a young man. **

**After dispatching of all the soldiers that had been pursuing her, Ashe turned to look at her 3 saviors. The one who had caught her, Vaan, seemed like a good fellow until she found out that he had stolen the Dawn Shard, her secret heirloom. The Viera seemed okay, but something about her made Ashe feel slightly wary; she had seen Viera before, but there seemed to be this mystique, regal air around her that reminded Ashe of her old life. And then the other man…something about him instantly made Ashe think "Ladies' man" and she did her best to avoid him.**

_How far we've come, and I_

_Celebrate every moment._

**Ashe listened in stunned silence as the secret life of their party's 'Leading Man' was revealed to her. She was taken aback when he revealed that he used to be an Archadian judge but was absolutely shocked when he revealed that his father had become mad in his pursuit of the Nethicite. **_**Who knew that this laid back sky pirate had such a hard past,**_** Ashe thought as she watched him stare out into the ocean. Moving next to him she heard him say "All that running…and it got me nowhere."**

**He added quietly "Don't give your heart to a stone. You're much too strong for that, Princess."**

_And if you say you love me,_

_That's all you'd have to say._

_I'll always feel this way._

Finally snapping out of her reverie, Ashelia B'Nargin Dalmasca looked at the man in front of her with a new light in her eyes. Her heart pounding loudly in her chest, she smiled and said "I think I know who you are." The masked man smirked. "Do you now? Well then, who am I?"

"Couldn't you at least give me a clue first before I guess?" she asked, eyes twinkling in mischief. He chuckled softly.

"I don't think clues are necessary anymore, Princess."

_When you say you love me_

_The world goes still, so still inside and_

_When you say you love me_

_In that moment I know why I'm alive_

She completely froze when she heard him call her 'Princess' and the man knew then that he had been found out. She couldn't breathe as she realized that her guess had been correct, as _impossible_ as it was, and could feel her long dried tears prick in the back of her eyes as she stared at the smirking male. How long had she waited for news on this man? How saddened had she been when she heard absolutely _nothing_ from him? How _greatly_ had she had missed him and wished to see him?

She couldn't believe it.

One whole year…and all of a sudden here he was, dancing with her on the day she becomes Queen?

No words were needed as Ashe slowly reached up towards his face to touch the black mask, the one thing barring her from confirming his identity.

_When you say you love me,_

She knew that her feelings for this man was beyond a simple camaraderie, stronger than a friendship. She had finally come to an understanding after she mourned for his assumed 'death' and accepted the fact that he held a most precious space in her heart.

After Rasler's death she never thought of _love_. Who knew that she would soon find it again in the form of a gentlemanly suave, loyal, cunning sky-pirate?

One moment the mask was on, the next second it was gone and Ashe found herself looking into the warm eyes of that same gentlemanly suave, loyal, cunning sky-pirate. Her voice was breathless with emotions as she said one thing.

_Do you know how I love you?_

"…_Balthier_."

* * *

**A/N: And so, that's it. Yeah, I've been staring at the ending and I've realized that it was just mean to leave the ending hanging like that, so I'll try to make a sequel and end it more properly. We'll see.**

**Sorry for spelling/grammar/sentence structure mistakes. Like I said before, I don't write often.**

**I sincerely thank you for reading this. Please review!**


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